Teach felt the moment was right.
He drew back his arm and slammed his fist into the ground.
Boom.
A terrifying shockwave exploded outward, and the island cloud beneath his feet shattered. A massive crater opened up, its edges collapsing inward.
Everyone leaned forward instinctively.
Below the broken clouds lay exactly what Teach had promised.
Another world.
They didn't see gold at first. What greeted them instead was a vast basin filled with ancient ruins. Crumbling stone structures stretched into the distance, their walls wrapped in thick vines. Time hung heavily over the place.
These ruins, together with those scattered along the colossal vine ahead, all belonged to Shandora.
The Golden City had not been destroyed. It had been buried and layered apart, split between the basin below and the heights above by the Knock-Up Stream and the clouds of Sky Island.
In the distance, the giant vine rose like a pillar supporting the heavens. Its top disappeared into the clouds, impossible to see.
"Let's go down," Teach said.
Without hesitation, he jumped into the crater. The others followed.
The island cloud was more than a hundred meters above the basin floor, but for the Black Night Pirates, that height meant nothing. They descended easily and landed on solid ground.
Then—
"Look!" someone shouted. "That's gold!"
Far ahead, a brilliant golden glow reflected off the ruins. Even from this distance, the light was dazzling.
Everyone froze.
Heartbeats quickened. Eyes widened.
If gold could shine this brightly from so far away, how much was there?
"That's it," Teach said, his voice carrying excitement he didn't bother to hide. "That's the real Golden City. The true core of Shandora."
He laughed and strode forward.
The city of gold lay before them.
They ignored the outer ruins as they advanced, their attention completely captured by the glow ahead. The deeper they went, the brighter it became.
Half an hour later, Shandora revealed itself.
A city of gold.
The meaning of the name was no exaggeration.
Buildings gleamed with pure golden light. Roads were paved with gold bricks. Towers, walls, and monuments all reflected a radiant luster that time had failed to dull.
Four hundred years had passed, yet Shandora looked untouched.
Gold did not weather like stone, and hidden beneath the island clouds, ten thousand meters above the sea, dust and erosion were almost nonexistent.
The city shone as if it had been built yesterday.
Everyone stopped.
No one spoke.
Even pirates who had seen countless treasures stood stunned, staring at the impossible sight before them.
"Gulp."
The sound of someone swallowing echoed clearly.
No one could estimate the value of this place. Hundreds of billions of Beri would not even come close. Even if all the gold in the world were gathered together, it would not match what lay before their eyes.
This much wealth could buy a kingdom.
A great one.
Most of the city remained intact. Only a few buildings leaned at odd angles, likely damaged by the violent force of the Knock-Up Stream centuries ago.
Otherwise, Shandora was whole.
All the gold was still here.
Unlike the future where Enel would strip it away to build the sky ark Maxim, every ounce remained embedded in the city itself.
"That… that's really the Golden City," someone finally whispered, sounding dazed.
"Am I dreaming?" another muttered.
Knowing about Shandora and seeing it were two completely different things. The shock was overwhelming.
Standing in the heart of the city, surrounded by towering golden structures, felt like standing in an ocean made of gold.
"Hiss… we're rich," a pirate said, pinching his arm hard. The pain snapped him back to reality, and his eyes burned with greed.
Teach clicked his tongue, equally affected.
"There's a lot, but don't get carried away," he said, laughing. "Most of this gold is inlaid into the buildings."
"Even so, it's insane," Redyat said quietly. "It truly deserves the name Golden City."
"If all this gold enters the market, gold itself will lose value," Pouf added after some thought.
Teach waved it off. "That's not our concern."
He spread his arms wide.
"Get to work. Strip it all. Pile it up first. This is a massive job, and it'll take time."
Cheers erupted instantly.
The pirates scattered, weapons flashing as they began prying gold from walls, floors, and monuments. Sparks flew as gold bricks were torn free.
The excavation of Shandora had begun.
Teach turned away from the chaos.
"Officers, with me," he said. "We're going to see the Golden Bell, the Light of Shandora."
He leapt into the air and headed toward the towering vine.
The Golden Bell sat at the very top of the giant vine.
Teach and Redyat reached it first.
At the summit floated a cloud that looked no different from any other. Even Enel, ruling Sky Island for six years, had never discovered what lay here.
Below this very spot, Enel would later build his temple.
What greeted them was breathtaking.
A colossal Golden Bell, wrapped partially by the vine itself, stood between two massive golden pillars. Each structure exceeded a hundred meters in height.
Below it stretched a three-tiered golden staircase.
Unlike the buildings below, which were merely gold-inlaid, this entire platform was made of pure gold.
It was staggering.
"This wasn't built by the Shandians," someone murmured. "They couldn't have done this."
Teach nodded. "This predates them. Eight hundred years, at least."
Embedded in the golden steps beneath the staircase was a massive stone block.
A Poneglyph.
The moment they saw it, everyone recognized it.
A stone recording the true history of the Void Century.
Even after witnessing the Golden City below, the sight of the Golden Bell and the Poneglyph left them awestruck.
The Golden Bell was the soul of Shandora. The faith of the Shandians. The Light of Shandora.
Its sound could travel from Jaya all the way to Sky Island. That was why the Sky Islanders believed it to be the Voice of God.
It guided lost ships like a lighthouse in the dangerous seas around Jaya, where currents were fierce and Knock-Up Streams frequent.
It was also proof of the bond between Calgara and Mont Blanc Noland.
To ring the bell was to light Shandora once more.
One by one, the other officers arrived. Pito reached the top fastest, leaping hundreds of meters at a time. Lafitte arrived last, his presence carrying a faint scent of blood.
Teach folded his arms.
"This is a Poneglyph," he said calmly. "Not a Road Poneglyph, but one that records true history. Redyat, read it."
Redyat stepped forward, brushing away the moss.
"Someone's been here recently," he said. "The moss is new."
"Roger," Teach replied without hesitation. "The Pirate King knew the locations of the Ancient Weapons."
Redyat nodded and began translating.
The content matched Teach's expectations.
It spoke of Poseidon.
The Ancient Weapon was not a ship or cannon, but a mermaid princess born once every few centuries on Fish-Man Island, capable of commanding Sea Kings.
The revelation stunned the others.
Sea Kings ruled the ocean. In a world made mostly of sea, controlling them meant holding power capable of destroying the world itself.
"Roger needed Poseidon," Teach said quietly. "But he arrived too early. The princess hadn't been born, and he didn't have time."
"So he passed on his will," Redyat said. "And started the Great Pirate Era."
The others listened in silence, understanding that this was knowledge far beyond them.
Redyat then pointed to a corner of the stone.
"There's a message here."
"What does it say?" Lafitte asked.
Redyat smiled faintly.
I have come to this place, and I shall lead this text to the ends of the world.
— Gol D. Roger
Teach laughed. "How dull."
Nelson's eyes sparkled. "Captain, let's carve something too."
History was being written.
And they were standing right in the middle of it.